Ni Hao, Kai-Lan
Encyclopedia
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is a Canadian/American children's television show, which premiered on Nickelodeon
on February 7, 2008, and on Noggin (now Nick Jr.) on February 2, 2009. It also premiered on the Canadian Television Channel Treehouse TV
Since November 2009 the show has also premiered on Nickelodeon in Israel. This show is a former programming of Nick Jr. 2
on 2009.
Ni Hao, Kai-lan is based on the childhood memories of the show's creator, Karen Chau
, growing up in a bicultural (Chinese-American) household. “Ni hao” means “Hi” in mandarin, and Kai-Lan is the Chinese name Ms. Chau was given at birth, later Anglicized to Karen.
throughout most episodes. It is revealed in Season 1 finale that they all live in California
implied to be Chinatown
. However it appears most characters aren't Chinese. The explanation is unknown. Ni Hao, Kai-lan introduces its viewers to the Mandarin Chinese language, along with elements of Chinese culture and values
, multiculturalism (through the diverse backgrounds of Kai-lan's friends), and intergenerational families (e.g., Kai-lan and her relationship with Ye Ye).
Episodes generally feature breaking the fourth wall
, 11 minutes of interactivity, A target word that is repeated multiple times, A few words of Mandarin Chinese vocabulary, One or more of Kai-lan's friends having a negative emotional response to some action or activity (problem), Kai-lan thinking out loud (observation), Cause-and-effect problem solving, and before saying good-bye (at the end of each episode), Kai-lan says, "You make my heart feel super happy!"
and in her music group, she plays her tambourine
. In the (aptly titled) episode Kai-Lan's Big Surprise, she tries to put together a big surprise party for Ye-Ye, but all the decorations, the pineapple cake, and even her card fall victim to gusty winds.
Voiced by Jade-Lianna Peters
(English)
and lovingly passes on his exciting traditions to his granddaughter. He provides Kai-Lan with gentle guidance, leading her to find her own answers, at her own pace. (Kai-Lan's parents and other grandparents are not known.) He can play the tuba
. He also enjoys picking apples and making dumplings for Kai-Lan and all her animal friends. He's known to pop out of places unexpectedly, but the gang just gets used to it after awhile.
Voiced by Clem Cheung (English)
Voiced by Jack Samson (English)
that loves pandas and fruit (especially apples, bananas, and pineapples). He is intelligent and always thinks before he acts and sometimes worries too much, but he never lets that stop him from having a great time with his friends. Kai-Lan and her friends can always rely on him for good ideas. Tolee also has a stuffed Panda he affectionately named Pandy, and Tolee loves Pandy so much he can't imagine being without him. The unimaginable, however, happens in Pandy's Puddle when he accidentally drops Pandy into a mud-filled puddle, the reason being he was trying to pull up a very large Chinese Turnip. He is the vocalist in Kai-Lan's music group. His love for pandas culminated in the two part episode "Kai-Lan's Great Trip to China" when the group traveled to China to meet a whole family of Pandas' including baby Xiao Xi Gua (Little Watermelon).
Voiced by Khamani Griffin
(English)
is the youngest of Kai-Lan's friends, so when he participates in activities, he often goes first. He's full of boundless energy and nothing makes him happier than being the center of attention. Whenever he jumps a spring sound can be heard. He can often be found jumping on his friends' heads or playing his turntables
as the resident DJ in Kai-Lan's music group. The turntables are normally stored in a tree when not in use. Aside from his turntables and his friends, Hoho's favorite thing happens to be banana
s.
Voiced by Angie Wu (English)
. She is the same age as Kai-Lan, 6 years old. She has been best friends with Kai-Lan the longest. They have celebrated every birthday party together. Lulu speaks fluently in both English and Mandarin Chinese. She has a red balloon around her nose that helps her fly in the sky. In fact, Lulu lives in a castle on a cloud. Whenever a friend is sad or needs help, Lulu is always there. She is a great friend because she helps her friends solve problems. Often, she has playdates with all her friends. Lulu loves to dance and play the piano. In fact, she plays the piano in Kai-Lan's music group. Some of her favorite games include: playing house, having tea parties, and dressing up like a fairy.
Voiced by Beverly Duan (English)
San San is voiced by Zachary Gordon
, Bubu is voiced by Luke Manriquez and Fufu is voiced by Kyla Rae Kowalewski
.
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
on February 7, 2008, and on Noggin (now Nick Jr.) on February 2, 2009. It also premiered on the Canadian Television Channel Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV
Treehouse TV is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel with programming targeted towards preschoolers that was launched on October 17, 1997. Its name comes from YTV's old children's programming block, The Treehouse...
Since November 2009 the show has also premiered on Nickelodeon in Israel. This show is a former programming of Nick Jr. 2
Nick Jr. 2
Nick Jr. 2 is Nick Jr.'s second channel in the United Kingdom, generally presenting popular Nick Jr. programming at other times of the day. It launched 24 April 2006. Currently, Nick Jr. 2 carries a schedule separate from the main Nick Jr. channel; however, during the first week after launching, it...
on 2009.
Ni Hao, Kai-lan is based on the childhood memories of the show's creator, Karen Chau
Karen Chau
Karen Chau is an American artist and creator of the children's television series Ni Hao, Kai-Lan for Nickelodeon TV. Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is based on the childhood memories of Chau, growing up in a bicultural household. Chau graduated with a degree in digital art from the University of California,...
, growing up in a bicultural (Chinese-American) household. “Ni hao” means “Hi” in mandarin, and Kai-Lan is the Chinese name Ms. Chau was given at birth, later Anglicized to Karen.
Premise
The setting of the show appears in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
throughout most episodes. It is revealed in Season 1 finale that they all live in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
implied to be Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
. However it appears most characters aren't Chinese. The explanation is unknown. Ni Hao, Kai-lan introduces its viewers to the Mandarin Chinese language, along with elements of Chinese culture and values
Culture of China
Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest and most complex. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces...
, multiculturalism (through the diverse backgrounds of Kai-lan's friends), and intergenerational families (e.g., Kai-lan and her relationship with Ye Ye).
Episodes generally feature breaking the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, 11 minutes of interactivity, A target word that is repeated multiple times, A few words of Mandarin Chinese vocabulary, One or more of Kai-lan's friends having a negative emotional response to some action or activity (problem), Kai-lan thinking out loud (observation), Cause-and-effect problem solving, and before saying good-bye (at the end of each episode), Kai-lan says, "You make my heart feel super happy!"
Kai-Lan
Kai-Lan is the main character of a 6 year old playful, adventurous preschooler with a big heart. She speaks both English and Mandarin Chinese, and she is eager to share her language, her culture, her playtime with her animal friends and the viewers at home. Kai-Lan is a natural leader but she is also thoughtful and caring with a gift for helping her friends when they really need her. Her favorite animal is a dinosaurDinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
and in her music group, she plays her tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
. In the (aptly titled) episode Kai-Lan's Big Surprise, she tries to put together a big surprise party for Ye-Ye, but all the decorations, the pineapple cake, and even her card fall victim to gusty winds.
Voiced by Jade-Lianna Peters
Jade-Lianna Peters
Jade-Lianna Gao Jian Peters is a Chinese-born naturalised American television voice actress for the Nick Jr. TV show Ni Hao, Kai-Lan.-Early Life:...
(English)
Ye Ye
Ye Ye (Mandarin word for "paternal grandfather") is Kai-Lan's grandfather and legal guardian. He was born in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and lovingly passes on his exciting traditions to his granddaughter. He provides Kai-Lan with gentle guidance, leading her to find her own answers, at her own pace. (Kai-Lan's parents and other grandparents are not known.) He can play the tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
. He also enjoys picking apples and making dumplings for Kai-Lan and all her animal friends. He's known to pop out of places unexpectedly, but the gang just gets used to it after awhile.
Voiced by Clem Cheung (English)
Rintoo
Rintoo is a rambunctious 5 year old tiger that often acts before he thinks. He likes to play rough but when it comes to his friends, he's willing to compromise. He loves dragons and racing race cars.Voiced by Jack Samson (English)
Tolee
Tolee is a 5-year-old koalaKoala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
that loves pandas and fruit (especially apples, bananas, and pineapples). He is intelligent and always thinks before he acts and sometimes worries too much, but he never lets that stop him from having a great time with his friends. Kai-Lan and her friends can always rely on him for good ideas. Tolee also has a stuffed Panda he affectionately named Pandy, and Tolee loves Pandy so much he can't imagine being without him. The unimaginable, however, happens in Pandy's Puddle when he accidentally drops Pandy into a mud-filled puddle, the reason being he was trying to pull up a very large Chinese Turnip. He is the vocalist in Kai-Lan's music group. His love for pandas culminated in the two part episode "Kai-Lan's Great Trip to China" when the group traveled to China to meet a whole family of Pandas' including baby Xiao Xi Gua (Little Watermelon).
Voiced by Khamani Griffin
Khamani Griffin
Khamani Griffin is an American child actor and is best known for playing the voice of Tolee in the Nick Jr show Ni Hao, Kai-Lan....
(English)
Hoho
At age 3, Hoho the white monkeyMonkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
is the youngest of Kai-Lan's friends, so when he participates in activities, he often goes first. He's full of boundless energy and nothing makes him happier than being the center of attention. Whenever he jumps a spring sound can be heard. He can often be found jumping on his friends' heads or playing his turntables
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
as the resident DJ in Kai-Lan's music group. The turntables are normally stored in a tree when not in use. Aside from his turntables and his friends, Hoho's favorite thing happens to be banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s.
Voiced by Angie Wu (English)
Lulu
Lulu is a pink rhinoRhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
. She is the same age as Kai-Lan, 6 years old. She has been best friends with Kai-Lan the longest. They have celebrated every birthday party together. Lulu speaks fluently in both English and Mandarin Chinese. She has a red balloon around her nose that helps her fly in the sky. In fact, Lulu lives in a castle on a cloud. Whenever a friend is sad or needs help, Lulu is always there. She is a great friend because she helps her friends solve problems. Often, she has playdates with all her friends. Lulu loves to dance and play the piano. In fact, she plays the piano in Kai-Lan's music group. Some of her favorite games include: playing house, having tea parties, and dressing up like a fairy.
Voiced by Beverly Duan (English)
Mr. Sun
At the start of almost every episode, Kai-Lan wakes up Mr. Sun so she can start her day. With the help of the viewer, Mr. Sun rises and showers down smiling sun fuzzies to Kai-Lan and she gets tickled by them. He also knows how to play the French Horn, so Kai-Lan and the lady bugs (playing the pi-pa) join him as a little music group at the beginning of Tolee's Rhyme Time and later joins Kai-Lan and her friends in the music show.The Ants
In one corner of Kai-Lan's backyard is a teeming mini-metropolis of ants called Ant City. The ants serve very important roles in the community: they deliver mail, they build things, and they love to play with Kai-Lan and her friends. San San is their leader along with his two right-hand ants, Bubu and Fufu.San San is voiced by Zachary Gordon
Zachary Gordon
Zachary Adam Gordon is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Greg Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid films which are based on Jeff Kinney's #1 New York Times best seller Diary of a Wimpy Kid....
, Bubu is voiced by Luke Manriquez and Fufu is voiced by Kyla Rae Kowalewski
Kyla Rae Kowalewski
Kyla Rae Kowalewski is an American child voice actress known for the role as Anais Watterson in The Amazing World of Gumball. She was also the voice of Fufu in Ni Hao, Kai-Lan...
.
Other, grown-up, and minor characters
- Howard is an owlOwlOwls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
who first appears in "The Dragonboat Festival." He delivers letters, and only speaks in hoots.
Voiced by Khamani GriffinKhamani GriffinKhamani Griffin is an American child actor and is best known for playing the voice of Tolee in the Nick Jr show Ni Hao, Kai-Lan....
- Mr. Fluffy is a baker at his own bakery who first appears in "Everybody's Hat Parade." He makes the best cakes, and is assisted by a shy, innocent polar bear named Mei Mei.
Mr. Fluffy is currently voiced by Elan Garfias, and Mei Mei is voiced by Brittany Chen.
- Stompy the ElephantElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
is a big, playful ElephantElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
who first appears in "Safari Pals." Nothing makes Stompy happier than being able to play with his friends. He is also known by some as Spouty or Trunky because of his long trunk.
Voiced by Hsiang Lo (English)
- Hula ducks who don't speak but dance and quack in episodes. They're very conservative as shown when they made pumpkin pie out of a broken pumpkin.
- An unnamed bat makes a few appearances as an audience member or a background character. He is believed to live in a bathroom.
- GuNaiNai is Kai-Lan's Great Aunt and YeYe's sister. She appears in "Kai-Lan's Trip to China."
Voiced by Ming-NaMing-NaMing-Na is a Macanese-born American actress. She has been credited with and without her family name, but most credits since the late 1990s have been without it...
.
- Xiao Xi Gua ("little watermelon") is a baby pandaPandaPanda or Panda bear most often refers to:*Giant panda, an animal in the Bear familyPanda may also refer to:*Red panda, the only living member in the Ailuridae family-In biology:* Species related to the Giant panda...
. He appears in "Kai-Lan's Trip to China."
- The Peeking Mice are little, black mice who are often seen playing music.
Voiced by assorted members of the cast. - The Monkey King is an incredible superhero who asked Kai-Lan and her friends for help in a magical kingdom where the foxes and the bears do not talk to each other. He appears in "Princess Kai-Lan." He then reappered in the 1 hour season 3 premiere in "Journey to Monkey King Castle."
Voiced by Jack Cygan.
- The Fox King is a red foxRed FoxThe red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
in The Fox Kingdom. He creates magic bamboo forests to keep the bears away. He usually gets mad, and couldn't get his sleep and talk to his friends, because of the dancing bears. Voiced by James Siang'aJames Siang'aJames Aggrey Siang'a is a Kenyan former international football player. Now active as a football manager, he has coached throughout Africa at both club and national level, and currently coaches Kenyan club side Gor Mahia.-Playing career:...
.
- The Foxes are red foxes that live in The Fox Kingdom. They sing to annoy the Bear Queen. The Fox King's Guards wear Chinese Men's Hats and wear green.
- The Bear Queen is a brown bearBrown BearThe brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
in The Bear Kingdom. She creates a moat to keep the foxes away. She is usually mad, and couldn't get her sleep and talk to her friends, because of the singing foxes. Voiced by Lucy LiuLucy LiuLucy Alexis Liu is an American actress and film producer. She became known for playing the role of the vicious and ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal , and has also appeared in several Hollywood films including Charlie's Angels, Chicago, Kill Bill, and Kung Fu Panda.-Early...
.
- The Bears are brown bears that live in The Bear Kingdom. They dance to make the ground shake, and make the Fox King mad. The Bear Queen's guards wear knights' helmets and wear purple suited armor.
International broadcasts
- Cula 4Cúla 4Cúla 4 is branded children's block on Irish language public broadcaster TG4. The strand was first established in 1996 as Cúlabúla; with the rebrand of TnaG to TG4 in 1999 Cúlabúla was renamed as "Cúla 4"....
free-to-air public broadcaster TG4TG4TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
's kids brand Cula4 airs the show in the Irish languageIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and teaches ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
to its audience. - Télé-QuébecTélé-QuébecTélé-Québec is a French language public educational television network in the Canadian province of Quebec. Known legally as Société de télédiffusion du Québec , it is a provincial crown corporation owned by the Government of Quebec...
airs a French languageFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
dub of the show. - NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
in the Netherlands airs a Dutch dub. - NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
in China's northern neighbour RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
airs a Russian dub. - E-JuniorE-JuniorE-Junior is a children television channel based in the United Arab Emirates created by e-Vision targeted towards 0-14 year old children. The channel was created by e-Vision and it's exclusive for e-Vision customers.-History :E-Junior was launched in August 2001...
in United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
airs in English although other programs are available with an Arabic Second audio programSecond audio programSecond audio program , also known as secondary audio programming, is an auxiliary audio channel for analog television that can be broadcast or transmitted both over the air and by cable TV.-Usage:... - ETTV Yoyo air a Chinese dub.
External links
- nihaokai-lan.net, all about Ni Hao, Kai-Lan and learning Chinese
- nihao-kailan.com, unofficial page